Fender Telecaster

The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele, is an electric guitar produced by Fender. Together with its sister model the Esquire, it was the world's first mass-produced, commercially successful solid-body electric guitar. Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music. Many prominent rock musicians have been associated with the Telecaster for use in studio recording and live performances, most notably Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, James Burton, Steve Cropper, and Jimmy Page.

It was introduced for national distribution as the Broadcaster in the autumn of 1950 as a two-pickup version of its sister model, the single-pickup Esquire. The pair were the first guitars of their kind manufactured on a substantial scale. A trademark conflict with a rival manufacturer, Gretsch, over its Broadkaster drum kit, led to the guitar being renamed in 1951. Initially, the Broadcaster name was simply cut off the labels placed on the guitars (leading to a limited run of nameless guitars known unofficially as Nocasters) and later in 1951, the final name of Telecaster was applied to the guitar to take advantage of the advent of television. The Telecaster quickly became a popular model, and has remained in continuous production since its first incarnation.